Some describe it as an exciting and engaging experience, a new way to "immerse" oneself in art and to interact more directly with it. It is certain that productions are multiplying and becoming popular worldwide, increasingly involving large audiences. But what are immersive exhibitions, how do they work, and can they truly redefine the concept of an art exhibition?
Related Articles: Everything you Need to Know about Surrealism, What is Cubism? 9 famous artworks you really should know (and some you’ve never seen before), What is action painting? 7 unmistakeable action paintings from Jackson Pollock to Action Bronson
"Have you ever dreamed of stepping inside a painting? With this exhibition, you can now do it," is the tempting invitation that presents itself with Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, one of the most popular immersive exhibitions of the moment, which, starting this month, will be staged in Milan at the Lampo Scalo Farini space. But what is it about, and why does this type of exhibition experience, which is gaining increasing favor from the public and on social media, trigger great enthusiasm on the one hand and strong criticism on the other?
Venturing into an immersive exhibition means living a different aesthetic-sensory experience, which some describe as sensational and which, in any case, constitutes a new way of relating to the work of art. To allow for complete immersion, large spaces are needed (up to 3000 square meters) and a combination of technologies that includes the use of powerful laser projectors to reproduce images on walls, ceilings, and floors, large screens, sound systems, and lighting sources. In many cases, there is also the possibility of accessing virtual reality experiences that simulate three-dimensional virtual situations inside the works themselves. In this way, supporters of the genre argue that art lovers of all ages have the opportunity to transform passive enjoyment into an active and engaging experience. But is it really so?
Vincent Van Gogh La_nuit_étoilée, via Wikimedia Commons
Immersive Exhibitions: Success and Proliferation
The success of immersive exhibitions in the United States has also been attributed to the Netflix TV series, Emily in Paris. In the first season, which aired at the end of 2020, the visit of the protagonist, played by Lily Collins, to the Van Gogh: Starry Night exhibition set up at L'Atelier des Lumières, a digital art center in Paris located in an old 19th-century foundry, aroused great curiosity. The format of this visual and musical performance, produced by Culturespaces, a company in the sector founded in 2000 by Bruno Monnier, now at the head of an empire with a turnover of 77 million euros, had already been tested since 2012 in a limestone cave called Carrières des Lumières, located in Le Baux de Provence, a small French village. The video installations of this event were curated by three Italians: Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Renato Gatto, and Massimiliano Siccardi. The latter, a world-renowned digital artist, after interrupting his collaboration with Culturespaces, accepted an offer from another company in the sector, the Canadian Lighthouse Immersive. This collaboration gave birth to a new show about the Dutch artist, Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, designed and conceived by Siccardi himself, with the soundtrack by Luca Longobardi. The project, presented in twenty American cities, was a resounding success and sold more than 5 million tickets. In reality, immersive events inspired by the life and works of Van Gogh are countless. In addition to Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, we can mention Imagine Van Gogh: The Exhibition, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, Van Gogh Alive, Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, just to name a few. But there are also different proposals, inspired by other artists. Siccardi has created two productions about Gustav Klimt and Frida Kahlo, Immersive exhibitions such as Klimt: Revolution and Frida: Immersive Dream are touring in Europe, Asia, and North America, while titles such as Imagine Picasso, The Immersive Exhibition, Monet By The Water, Gaudí, Architect of The Imaginary, Chagall, Midsummer Night's Dreams, and many others are also popular. Even the Dalì Foundation has allowed IDEAL, a digital cultural center based in Barcelona, to use the works of the Catalan artist. This has led to the creation of Dalì cybernetic (reopening on May 19, 2023), an event that promises to be an exciting journey through the master's most significant works, explored from a completely new perspective. Despite criticism from supporters of "traditional" art, immersive experiences are beginning to involve institutional realities as well. A testament to this is La Joconde: Exposition Immersive, co-produced by Grand Palais Immersif and the Louvre Museum. Presented last year at the Palais de la Bourse in Marseille, the exhibition is an invitation to rediscover Leonardo's masterpiece through a "unique interactive and sensory experience." Grand Palais Immersif, a public cultural institution specializing in the production of national and international digital exhibitions, is a subsidiary of La Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais, a reality that has managed the cultural program of the Grand Palais (currently under renovation) and countless other French museums for 130 years. Its latest production is Éternel Mucha, an immersive, interactive, and sensory experience that retraces the work of the Art Nouveau master. Produced with the Mucha Foundation in Prague, the exhibition is currently running at Grand Palais Immersif on Rue de Lyon in Paris and will close on November 5, 2023.
New York exhibit of America’s Original Experimental Celebration of the Art of Vincent van Gogh at New York’s Pier 36, via Wikimedia Commons
Immersive Exhibitions: Is it all that glitters?
As expected, not everyone has appreciated this new way of presenting art to the general public. Many critics, journalists, art experts, and visitors are highly critical of the phenomenon. Some believe that such exhibitions end up degrading art and accuse them of superficiality. Others point the finger at the phenomenon that many visitors access immersive experiences driven by a narcissistic desire to take a selfie rather than a real appreciation of the artistic value of the works offered. The economic aspect also raises suspicion for many. Behind the lucrative commercial activity of companies such as teamLAB, Brain Hunter Co., and Fever Labs, which have become multimillionaires in a short time, there is, according to some, a mere logic of profit that cares little about the cultural aspect. In this regard, ticket prices are also considered exorbitant in some cases. Some "purists" provocatively suggest that it would be better to start frequenting museums such as the National Gallery in London, for example, where works can be admired live and for free.
A cura della redazione di Kooness